Disposable umbrella

ABSTRACT

A disposable umbrella comprising a hollow shaft, a sliding member slidably fitted around said shaft, means radially extending from the upper portion of said sliding member and adapted to attach the main ribs of said umbrella to said sliding member, means for keeping said sliding member in its lowered position on said shaft and thereby maintaining said umbrella in its unfurled position while said umbrella is in use, means for restricting the upward movement of said main ribs from their substantially horizontal position while said umbrella is in use, and means for fixing the central part of a water-proof covering for said umbrella to the uppermost portion of said shaft.

United States Patent Futamura et al.

[ Oct. 16, 1973 [5 DISPOSABLE UMBRELLA 2,667,884 2/1954 Bruno etal.135/20 R [75] Inventors: Masaharu Futamura, Atsutaka Ookuma both ofNagoya Japan Primary Exammer.l. Karl Attorney-Oltsch & Knoblock [73]Ass1gnee: Nakanihon Sangyo Company, 1 Limited, Nagoya, Japan. [57]ABSTRACT 22 F1led: Dec. 27, 1971 A d1sposable umbrella comprising ahollow shaft, a [211 Appl- N05 212,145 sliding member slidablyfittedaround said shaft, means radially extending from the upper portion of 52us. c1. 135/20 R, 135/195 a Sliding member and adapted to attach the min51 1m. 01. A45b 13/00, A45b 19/00 ribsofsaid umbrellamsaidslidingmembflvmeansfor 58 Field of Search 135/20, 19.5, 25, keeping SaidSliding member in its lowered Position 1 3 5 Q6 28, 44 said shaft andthereby maintaining said umbrella'in its unfurled position while saidumbrella is in use, means 5 I References Cited for restricting theupward movement of said main ribs UNITED STATES PATENTS from theirsubstantially horizontal position while said 1 umbrella is in use, andmeans for fixing the central 135/20 R part of a water-proof covering forsaid umbrella to the 4398 4: uppennost portion of said shaft. 2,024,94612/1935 Morgenstern 135/20 R 5 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures a 2 b A l I A7 7 21 I? v L 3*2 K 1 y 4 I 8 2O 1O 13 a 1 3a 3a 5 PMENTEnum 1619B3.765433 SHEET NF 3 28. 5 I 2 b J 7 A WFNIEDUU 161915 3.765433 sum 20$ 3PATENTEDIIBI 16 um 3Q 765L433 sum 3 or; 3

DISPOSABLE UMBRELLA This invention relates to a disposable umbrella ofsimple construction which is essentially made of synthetic resin, can bemanufactured on a massproduction basis, and accordingly, is low-priced.The structural parts of the umbrella known in the prior art hasgenerally been made of metals, and accordingly, the umbrella of theprior art has been so rigid in construction that it remains durable overa long period of time. It is, however, relatively expensive, andaccordingly, is not suitable to be kept at a store, a bar, a station orthe like for free disposal by its clients.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a disposableumbrella which is low-priced, and suitable as a gift to a customer forhis temporary use.

The umbrella according to this invention is very simple in construction,and functions positively when it is furled or unfurled. It is quite easyto manufacture; therefore, it is suitable for mass-production.Furthermore, the umbrella of this invention is very suitable to be keptat a store or the like as a gift to a client, because it can be moreabundantly and cheaply manufactured in a shorter period of time than anyconventional umbrellas, and is capable of withstanding use in a rainystorm in spite of its extremely simple construction.

A preferred embodiment of the umbrella according to this invention willnow be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a first preferredembodiment of the umbrella according to this invention, in which theumbrella is shown in its unfurled position;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the upper portion of the shaft of theumbrella shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the means for attaching the mainribs of the umbrella shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the means shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a detailed cross-sectional view of that portion of theumbrella shown in FIG. 1 in which a circumferential corner of thewater-proof covering is fixed to the outer end of a main rib;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a second preferredembodiment of the umbrella according to this invention, in which theumbrella is shown in'its unfurled position;

FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a third preferredembodiment of the umbrella according to this invention, in which theumbrella is shown in its unfurled position;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 8; and

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 4, and showing a modified form of themeans shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4.

Referring to FIG. 1 through FIG. 6 of the drawings showing a firstpreferred embodiment of the umbrella according to this invention, thenumeral 1 designates a hollow umbrella shaft which is generally squarein cross section, and is preferably made of synthetic resin. The

shaft 1 is provided with a slit 1a of a predetermined length extendingfrom the upper end of the shaft 1 down to an intermediate positionthereof along the centerline of one if its side walls. A circular hookblock 2 which is made of synthetic resin includes a hollow square shaft2a extending downward from the center thereof. The shaft 2a is insertedin the upper end of an elongated hole 23 provided through the shaft 1,and thereby holds the block 2 in position on the shaft 1. Six equallyspaced hooking noses 2b are radially projected from the outer edge ofthe block 2. A cylindrical sliding member 3, which is made of ofsynthetic resin and is relatively small in length, is slidably fittedaround the shaft 1, and is provided longitudinally thereof with athrough hole 4 which substantially corresponds in cross section with thesectional profile of the shaft 1. A hooking piece 5 extends inwardlyfrom the lower edge of the sliding member 3, and is slidably fitted inthe slit la of the shaft 1, projecting into the longitudinal hole 23thereof.

Six equally spaced hinging pieces 6 are radially extended from the upperportion of the sliding member 3. The hinging pieces 6 are each providedat one end thereof with a substantially flat end portion 7 which hingesthe piece 6 on the sliding member 3. Provided below each of the sixhinging pieces 6 is a hooking piece 3a projecting radially from thesliding member 3. Each of the six hooking pieces 3a is adapted to hookone end of a string 8 fastened at the other end thereof to anappropriate position of a corresponding main rib 10 of the umbrella.When the umbrella is in its unfurled position, the six strings 8 aretightly stretched and prevent the upward movement of the main ribs 10from the substantially horizontal position in which the main ribs arerequired to stay while the umbrella is in use. Each hinging piece 6 isformed at the outer portion 9 thereof with a hole 11 in which acorresponding main rib 10 is received. A stopper 12 is provided on theouter surface of the slidingmember 3 and between every two adjoininghinging pieces 6 to substantially restrict the sidewise swingingmovement of the hinging pieces 6. The outer end of each mainrib 10 isreceived in the inner hole 13b of a corresponding attaching'piece 13.The attaching pieces 13 are made 'of synthetic resin, and each of themhas an annular groove 13a formed around the substantially round centralportion thereof.

A water-proof covering 14 is stretched over one edge of eachattachingpiece 13, and each of thecircumferential corner portions of thewater-proof covering 14 is received in a corresponding annular groove13a. A ring-shaped insert 15 having a circumferential groove thereon isinserted in the annular groove 13a with said circumferential grooveengaged with an annular projection formed on the inner surface of thegroove 13a to ensure connection between the attaching piece 13 and thewater-proof covering 14.

The central part of the water-proof covering 14 is received in alongitudinal hole 20 provided through the hollow square shaft 2a of thehook block 2, and a cap 16 having an insert 16a projecting downward fromthe center thereof is inserted into the hollow shaft 2a over thewater-proof covering 14 via the insert 16a. A grip 17 made of syntheticresin is fitted around the lower end of the shaft 1. A cap 18 having ahook 18a is attached to the lower end of the grip 17, said hook 18aprojecting into the grip 17 and further into the shaft 1. A string 19 ofrubber or other elastic material is stretched between. the end of thehook 18a and the hooked end portion 5 of the sliding member 3.

Each main rib 10 is provided intermediate the ends thereof with a smallnotch 20, and a string 21 of rubber or other elastic material isstretched between the notch 20 and -the hooking nose 2b of the hookblock 2. A locking ring 22 is slidably fitted around the shaft 1, andadapted to hold the outer ends of the main ribs 10 within its flange 22awhen the umbrella is closed. When the umbrella is opened, the main ribs10 are in their substantially horizontal position, or in other words,substantially perpendicular to the shaft 1. The strings 8 are tightlystretched, and prevent the upward rotation of the main ribs 10 whichmight otherwise be caused by the tension of the elastic strings 21, orthe force of wind, or the like. The sliding member 3 is urged downwardby the elastic strings 19 stretched between the hook 5' and the hookedend portion 18a, and the hooked end portion 5 of the sliding member 3rests on the lower end of the slit la of the shaft 1. The waterproofcovering 14 is tightly held at the central portion thereof by the cap 16and the hook block 2, and the six circumferential corner portions of thecovering 14 are securely held by the attaching pieces 13 and the inserts15, so that the umbrella is capable of withstanding strong pressure ofwind and rain.

When the sliding member 3 is manually moved upward along the shaft 1resisting the tension of the string 19, the umbrella is furled. Sincethe main ribs are prevented from opening by the flange 22a of the ring22, the umbrella is kept in its furled position. Accordingly, if thering 22 is moved down along the shaft 1 to release the outer ends of themain ribs 10 from the ring 22, the umbrella is automatically opened. Itwill be noted that the strings 8 may be replaced by flexible metal wiresor the like to hold the main ribs 10 in their substantially horizontalposition while the umbrella is in use. Moreover, the lower ends of theelastic strings .21 may be fastened to the outer ends of the main ribs10 instead of the intermediate positions thereof. The strings 21 mayeven be removed without substantially affecting the functions of theumbrella according to this invention. 7

Reference will now be made in particular to FIG. 7 to describe a secondpreferred embodiment of the umbrella according to this invention. Theshaft l is an elongated hollow member having a square section and madeof synthetic resin. A circular locking block 35 made of synthetic resinand having a hollow square locking shaft 35a projecting downward fromthe center of the lower surface of the block 35 is inserted via itsshaft 35a into the upper end of the longitudinalhole 23 of the shaft 1.A considerably elongated cylindrical sliding member 30 made of syntheticresin, and having a little smaller length than the shaft 1, has athrough hole 4 with substantially the same cross sectional area as theshaft 1, and is fitted slidably around the shaft 1. Six equally spacedhinging pieces 6 are radially extended from the upper end of the slidingmember 30, and attached via their substantially flat end portions 7 tothe sliding member 30. Six equally spaced hooking pieces 3a are radiallyprojected from the sliding member 30 intermediate the ends thereof insuch a manner that one hooking piece 34 is situated exactly below onehinging piece 6. Each hooking piece 3a hooks one end of a string 8fastened at its other end to an appropriate position of a correspondingmain rib 10 of the umand is adapted to receive therein the inner endportion of a corresponding main rib 10 of the umbrella.

A stopper (not shown) isprovided on the sliding member 30 and betweenevery two adjoining hinging pieces 6 to restrict the sidewise swingingmovement of the hinging pieces 6. The lower end of the sliding member 30is formed on one side thereof with a lateral projection 31. The outerend of each main rib 10 is received in the inner hole 13a of acorresponding attaching piece 13, and the water-proof covering 14 issecurely held by the inserts 15 in the same manner as has hereinbeforebeen described in connection with the first preferred embodiment of thisinvention. The locking shaft 350 is inserted into the upper end of thehole 23 of the shaft 1, and the central portion of the waterproofcovering 14 is pressed into the hole 35b of the shaft 35a and heldtherein by a cap 16 having a lower projecting end portion 16a insertedinto the shaft 35a. A grip 32 is fitted around the lower end of theshaft 1, and an elastic hooking member 33 made of synthetic resin andhaving an upper hooking end portion 33a is secured to one side of thegrip 32 intermediate the ends thereof. A locking ring 22 is slidablyfitted around the shaft 1 intermediate the ends thereof, and is adaptedto hold the outer ends of the main ribs 10 within its flange 22a whenthe umbrella is closed. A stopper 34 provided on the shaft 1 close tothe upper end thereof prevents the excessive upward movement of theslidingmember 30 along the shaft 1 when the umbrella is closed.

The strings 8, which may be replaced by flexible metal wires or anyother similar material, are tightly stretched between the hooking pieces3a of the sliding member 30 and the main ribs 10, and restrict thefurther upward rotation of the main ribs 10 from their substantiallyhorizontal position when the umbrella is opened. When the sliding member30 is lowered until it abuts against the upper end of the grip 32, thehooking end portion 33a of the hooking member 33 is engaged with thelower end projection 31 of the sliding member 30, whereby the slidingmember 30 is prevented from moving upward and thereby causing theumbrella to close. The water-proof covering 14 is securely held at thecentral portion thereof by the cap 16 and the hook block 35, and the sixcircumferential corner portions thereof are secured by the attachingpieces 13 and the inserts 15, so that the umbrella according to thisinvention is capable of withstanding the strong pressure of rain andwind.

The umbrella is brought into its fully closed position when the hookingmember 33 is disengaged from the lower end hooked portion 31 of thesliding member 30 and the sliding member 30 is manually raised along theshaft 1 until it abuts against the stopper 34 provided adjacent to theupper end of the shaft 1. The outer ends of the main ribs 10 are lockedwithin the flange 22a of the locking ring 22. When the umbrella is to beopened, the ring 22 is lowered to release the outer ends of the mainribs 10, and the hooking member 33 is engaged with the lower end hookedportion 31 of the sliding member 30 after the sliding member 30 islowered until it abuts against the upper end of the grip 32. It will benoted that the hooking means 31 provided at the lower end of the slidingmember 30 may instead be provided on the upper end of the grip 32, whilethe hooking member 33 now provided on the grip 32 may instead beattached to the lower end of the sliding member 30. Furthermore, it maybe useful to provide stopper means adapted to restrict the movement ofthe sliding member 30 either in the upward or the downward directionalong the shaft 1 while the umbrella is in its opened position.

Attention will now be directed to FlGS. 8 and 9 of the drawings todescribe a third preferred embodiment of the umbrella according to thisinvention. The shaft 1 of the umbrella is a hollow square shaft made ofsynthetic resin, and has a slit la of a required length extending fromthe upper end of the shaft 1 down to an intermediate position thereof.The slit 1a is longitudinally out along one side wall of the shaft 1. Arelatively short cylindrical sliding member 3 made of synthetic resin isslidably fitted around the shaft 1. The sliding member 3 has a hole 4provided longitudinally therethrough, and the hole 4 has substantiallythe same cross-sectional area as the shaft 1. The member 3 is providedat the lower end thereof with a hooked end portion 5, and the lower endhooked portion 5 projects through the slit 1a into the longitudinal hole23 of the shaft 1.

Six equally spaced hinging pieces 6 are radially projected from theupper end portion of the sliding member 3, and fastened to the slidingmember 3 by their substantially fiat end portions 7. Each hinging piece6 is provided through the outer end portion 9 thereof with a hole 11which is adapted to receive the inner end of a corresponding main rib ofthe umbrella. A stopper (not shown) is provided on the upper end portionof the sliding member 3 between every two adjoining hinging pieces 6 torestrict the sidewise swinging movement of the hinging pieces 6 when theumbrella is in its opened position. Six equally spaced hooking pieces 3aare radially projected from the lower end portion of the sliding member3 in such a manner that one hooking piece is located below one hingingpiece 6. Each hooking piece 3a is adapted to hook one end ofa string 8fastened at the other end thereof to an appropriate position of acorresponding main rib 10 of the umbrella. When the umbrella is in itsunfurled position, the strings 8 are tightly stretched, and therebyrestrict the upward rotation of the main ribs 10 from theirsubstantially horizontal position in which the main ribs 10 aresubstantially 'perpendicualr to the shaft 1 of the umbrella. The centralportion ofa water-proof covering 14 made of vinyl is pressed by a cap 40into the upper end of the longitudinal hole 23 of the shaft 1, and sixcircumferential corner portions of the covering 14 are fastened to theouter ends of the main ribs 10 by pieces of thread. The cap 40 has acurved hook 40a projecting downward from the underside thereof. A grip42 is fitted around the lower end portion of the shaft 1. The grip 42has a portion 420 of increased diameter toward its lower end, and athrough hole 43 and a slit 44 communicating with said hole 43 areprovided vertically through said thucker portion 42a of the grip 42. Thegrip 42 is provided on the bottom surfaces thereof with a substantiallysemi-spherical concave 45 communicating with the slit 44. The concave 45is adapted to receive therein a spherical stopper member 46 of a smallerdiameter than that of the hole 43. A string 47 is fastened at the lowerend thereof to the upper'portion of the spherical stopper 46 and at theupper end thereof to the hooked end portion 5 of the sliding member 3.The lower end of the stopper ball 46 is connected via a string 48 to apull ring 49. A string 50 of rubber or other elastic material stretchedbetween the hook 40a and the hooked end portion 5 of the sliding member3 urges the sliding member 3 upward, while the string 47 acts to holddown the sliding member 3. Thus, the lower end of the sliding member 3is very close to the lower end of the slit 1a of the shaft 1. A stopper34 provided adjacent the upper end of the shaft 1 prevents the excessiveupward movement of the sliding member 3 when the umbrella is closed. Alocking ring 22 is fitted slidably over the shaft 1 between the slidingmember 3 and the grip 42, and is formed with a circumferential flange22a which is adapted to hold together the outer ends of the main ribs 10when the umbrella is closed.

When the umbrella is opened, the main ribs 10 thereof are in.theirsubstantially horizontal position, and the strings 8 act to restrict theupward rotation of the main ribs 10 which might otherwise be caused bythe pressure of wind acting on the covering 14 of the umbrella. Thesliding member 3 is constantly urged upward by the elastic string 50,while the string 47 stretched between the hooked end portion 5 of thesliding member 3 and the ball-shaped stopper 46 located in the concave45 at the lower end of the grip 42 acts to restrict the upward movementof the sliding member 3, and keeps the lower end of the sliding member 3very close to the lower end of the slit 1a of the shaft 1. The tensileforce of the covering 14 prevents the downward rotation of the main ribs10. Thus, the umbrella according to this invention can withstand useunder strong pressure of wind and rain.

In order to close the umbrella, the pull ring 49 is pulled down againstthe elastic force of the string 50 to remove the stopper 46 from theconcave 45. The stopper 46 is then caused to move up through the hole 43of the grip 42 as shown by broken lines in FIG. 8 when the pull ring 49is released. At the same time, the sliding member 3 is brought to itsraised position by the contraction of the string 50, and abuts againstthe stopper 34. Then, the outer ends of the main ribs 10 may be heldtogether by the ring 22. On the other hand, in order to open theumbrella, the outer ends of the main ribs 10 are released from the ring22 by pressing down the ring 22, and the stopper 46 is removed from thehole 43 of the grip 42 into the concave 45 by pulling down the pull ring49 and shifting it slightly toward the left in FIG. 8. The slidingmember 3 is thus pulled down to its lowered position where the umbrellais opened. It will be observed that the strings 8 may be replaced byflexible metal wires or any other similar means adapted to restrict theupward rotation of the main ribs 10 of the umbrella from theirsubstantially horizontal position when the umbrella is opened.

Referring to FIG. 10 of the drawings, it should be noted that thestrings 8 or any substitute means therefor may be eliminated withoutcausing any appreciable upward rotation of the main ribs 10 when theumbrella is in its opened position if the stoppers 12 are formed with awidened cross section as shown in FIG. 10 to strictly restrict thesidewise swinging movement of the hinging pieces 6, and if the main ribs10 are designed to have a sufficiently large bending stiffness. In thiscase, it will be observed that should one of the main ribs 10 tend to beurged upward due to the force of wind or the like, the water-proofcovering 14 of the umbrella would tend to pull the adjoining ribs towardsaid one rib, but that the bending stiffness of such ribs wouldsubstantially prevent the lateral movement thereof, hence restrictingthe upward movement of any of the main ribs 10 from its substantiallyhorizontal position.

What is claimed is:

1. A disposable umbrella comprising in combination, an elongated shaft,a member slidable longitudinally on said shaft, a plurality of elongatedribs pivoted to the upperend of said slidable member and adapted toproject substantially radially therefrom and substantially equallyspaced, a waterproof covering spread over and fastened to the outer endsof said ribs and centrally fastened to said shaft'above said slidablemember, means for positioning said shiftable member on said shaft toradially extend said ribs and unfurl said covering, and a plurality ofstrings each connected to said slidable member spaced below said ribpivot and connected to a rib spaced from the pivot of the rib to theslidable member, said strings serving to restrain upward swingin g ofsaid ribs from operative radial position, said shaft being hollow andhaving a longitudinal slit in the upper portion of one side wallthereof, said sliding member having an inwardly projecting hook portionprojecting through said slit into said shaft, said positioning meansincluding a second string connected to said hook portion and extendingthrough said shaft, and a hand gripconnected to said second string andprojecting from the lower end of said shaft.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said second string iselastic and is stretched between said hook portion and said hand grip.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said sliding member issomewhat shorter in length than said shaft, and said positioning meanscomrpises a lateral projecting portion carried by one of said slidingmember and said shaft, and a hooking member secured to the other of saidslidable member and said shaft and adapted to releasably engage saidprojecting portion.

4. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said positioning meansincludes said grip member on the end of said shaft provided with apassage therethrough, a slit communicating with said passage and an endsocket communicating with said slit, and a stopper member secured tosaid second string member and adapted to seat in said socket.

5. The invention as defined in claim 4, wherein a cap member secures thecentral portion of said water-proof covering to the upper end of saidshaft and includes a hook extending into said shaft, and an elasticsecond string member is stretched between the hook of said cap and saidinwardly projecting hook portion of said sliding member to automaticallyclose said umbrella when said stopper member is released from saidsocket and located in said passage of said grip member.

1. A disposable umbrella comprising in combination, an elongated shaft,a member slidable longitudinally on said shaft, a plurality of elongatedribs pivoted to the upper end of said slidable member and adapted toproject substantially radially therefrom and substantially equallyspaced, a waterproof covering spread over and fastened to the outer endsof said ribs and centrally fastened to said shaft above said slidablemember, means for positioning said shiftable member on said shaft toradially extend said ribs and unfurl said covering, and a plurality ofstrings each connected to said slidable member spaced below said ribpivot and connected to a rib spaced from the pivot of the rib to theslidable member, said strings serving to restrain upward swinging ofsaid ribs from operative radial position, said shaft being hollow andhaving a longitudinal slit in the upper portion of one side wallthereof, said sliding member having an inwardly projecting hook portionprojecting through said slit into said shaft, said positioning meansincluding a second string connected to said hook portion and extendingthrough said shaft, and a hand grip connected to said second string andprojecting from the lower End of said shaft.
 2. The invention as definedin claim 1, wherein said second string is elastic and is stretchedbetween said hook portion and said hand grip.
 3. The invention asdefined in claim 1, wherein said sliding member is somewhat shorter inlength than said shaft, and said positioning means comprises a lateralprojecting portion carried by one of said sliding member and said shaft,and a hooking member secured to the other of said slidable member andsaid shaft and adapted to releasably engage said projecting portion. 4.The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said positioning meansincludes said grip member on the end of said shaft provided with apassage therethrough, a slit communicating with said passage and an endsocket communicating with said slit, and a stopper member secured tosaid second string member and adapted to seat in said socket.
 5. Theinvention as defined in claim 4, wherein a cap member secures thecentral portion of said water-proof covering to the upper end of saidshaft and includes a hook extending into said shaft, and an elasticsecond string member is stretched between the hook of said cap and saidinwardly projecting hook portion of said sliding member to automaticallyclose said umbrella when said stopper member is released from saidsocket and located in said passage of said grip member.